The death of an ex-member of homeless community while riding his bike to work reminds us how fragile life is. He had been hit by cars while riding his bike many times and if he could not walk away from all of them, he at least survived these earlier encounters with Abbotsford drivers.
Cycling in Abbotsford you almost feel that there must be some kind of secret contest being held by drivers where they score points hitting cyclists (or pedestrians).
The tally of scrapes, bruises, torn muscles, concussions, broken arms, legs and collarbones would fill volumes. Since bicycles are the major form of transportation for the homeless, marginalized and poor this group suffers most from Abbotsford drivers.
When the immutable laws of probability catch up with the cyclists and a cyclist dies it is usually a member of the homeless, marginalized and poor who is sacrificed to chance.
People think about winter weather killing members of the homeless community but the truth is that it is the summer, especially hot summer, weather that is a greater threat to life. It was luck that some homeless I know told me about someone needing help during the last day of the oppressive hot spell. I was able to get him onto his unsteady feet and into the cool conditioned air. After keeping his water glass filled for over three hours his colour improved, his temperature cooled down and he perked up enough to eat some salted crackers, have some more water and get some sleep.
This experience is made more sobering by the news reports of Curtis Brick’s death from heat in Vancouver.
But it is health care that kills the most. Not strictly as a result of medical personnel’s attitudes (although attitude does kill some) but from the reality that being homeless makes it hard to take good care of your health. Currently someone I know lies in a coma as a result of infection.
Infection nearly killed me while homeless. If it had not been for the kindness of a fellow Alanon member giving me a bed to stay in and a good supper every day so I could make the three weeks of twice daily, 3 hour intravenous antibiotic treatments I would have been another homeless victim, dead of unnatural ‘natural causes’.
As a modern society we have forgotten the death toll infections of various types inflicted on the human race in times past.
Fire, pneumonia … the list of ways that homelessness can kill you goes on and on and ….
So the next time you hear some loudmouth talking about the easy life the homeless have and how everyone should have that wonderful an easy life, know they are only demonstrating their ignorance of the harsh reality of a life of homelessness.
Homelessness can kill you and is a curse I would wish on none … well except politicians and loudmouths who could greatly use just such a reality check.